Physical activity and quality of life/subjective well-being in people with disabilities: A look backwards and a way forwards

The case for devoting resources to physical activity (PA) interventions and initiatives often hinges on demonstrating the impact of PA on people’s quality of life (QOL)/subjective well-being (SWB). In PA-intervention studies involving children, youth and adults with disabilities, the effects tend to be inconsistent and relatively small. In this paper, I argue that the true effects of PA on QOL/SWB in people with disabilities have been masked by mis-conceptualization and mis-measurement of QOL/SWB, and a lack of theoretical specification of how PA may influence QOL/SWB. I begin with an overview of the QOL and SWB concepts followed by a review of quantitative and qualitative research on the effects of PA on QOL/SWB among people living with disabilities. Research from sport and exercise psychology that aims to explain how PA improves QOL/SWB is synthesized along with QOL theorizing from the parent discipline of psychology. In the final section, I integrate these perspectives into a Quality Participation Model of Physical Activity and Quality of Life/Subjective Well-Being with recommendations for researchers and interventionists. PA can make a substantive difference in the lives of people with disabilities; however, researchers and interventionists must be more careful when designing and assessing PA interventions to improve QOL/SWB. • Effect sizes for PA-intervention studies tend to be small and inconsistent. • Studies confound measures of QOL/SWB with HRQOL, masking true effects on QOL/SWB. • Qualitative studies show clear, consistent effects and how PA may improve QOL/SWB. • A Quality Participation Model of PA and QOL/SWB is presented to guide future work.